Asbestos is harmless - Daily Mail

Guardian blogger Richard Wilson has attacked claims made in a
Daily Mail article that the deadly mineral asbestos is "relatively
harmless".

Wilson has pointed out little facts which he says the Daily Mail
reader is unlikely to be aware of.

The original article was penned by Christopher Booker, who has a
history of trying to conceal the material's real dangers and
ignoring the countless examples of
asbestos diseases.

Booker has written at least 42 articles for the press since 2002
- despite having no science background - repeating claims made by
asbestos companies that the health risk from the white form of the
deadly material is "vanishingly small".

His views are rebutted by most experts, including the Health and
Safety Executive (HSE).

Many of the claims in the Daily Mail have already been printed
by the Sunday Telegraph.

Booker repeated a previous claim of his that HSE research showed
the risk to people's health from white asbestos cement was
"insignificant". In response, the HSE itself directly contradicted
the writer's assertion.

Bodies such as the World Health Organisation, the UK and US
governments and the European Union all say that white asbestos
presents a serious health risk for humans and needs to be managed
carefully.